GRAND RAPIDS - Any suggestion that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford's surgically repaired right shoulder might not be prepared for the start of the 2011 NFL season is met with an incredulous look from the third-year signal caller. He even did several push-ups to prove his point.

"Yeah, absolutely. I'm ready to go," he said.

No doubt about being ready for the start of training camp - if there is a training camp?

"None," he insisted.

Stafford, who missed all but three games with two different right shoulder separations last season, appeared to be a picture of health Monday at a Blue Cross Blue Shield promotional appearance at Ford Fieldhouse.

He pronounced himself 100 percent recovered from a January operation on his throwing shoulder, participated in fitness drills with about 250 students from four urban elementary schools and spoke about the importance of eating right and remaining active. He led some of them in jumping jacks and push-ups before departing to head back to suburban Detroit for a Monday afternoon workout with some of his Lions' teammates.

"It feels good," Stafford said of his right shoulder. "I'm throwing with (Lions second-round draft pick) Titus (Young), Calvin (Johnson), some of the guys from Georgia. I'm just working out, throwing as much as I can, playing a little bit of golf. That's about it. I had to rehab for a long time to get this back where it needs to be.

"But I feel great."

The hardest part for Stafford is waiting for the NFL lockout to end.

He said he is looking forward to getting back on the field and helping the Lions build on the momentum of a 6-10 finish, including a four-game winning streak, with him sidelined, at the end of last season.

"You know as much as I know. I'm almost positive it's going to get done," Stafford said of a new labor agreement between owners and players. "We're going to have football. There's too much at stake not to have football.

"We're all ready to get out there and start playing again. We understand the season is right around the corner. We gotta get going," he said. "(The frustrating part) is just the unknown. That's the biggest thing for us."

Stafford, chosen No. 1 overall in the 2009 NFL draft, said he is excited about the recent additions of Young, a field-stretching wide receiver from Boise State, and all-purpose Illinois running back Mikel Leshoure to the offense.

He already has developed a rapport with Young.

"He's a really athletic kid. He's got some speed. He's a good run-after-the-catch kind of guy," Stafford said. "I think he's going to help our offense a lot. In the NFL, you have to earn everything you get.

"He's going to have an opportunity to step in and play, but he's got to earn it."

Stafford also offered an uplifting report about the health of fifth-year wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who played in the Pro Bowl at the end of last season despite nursing an assortment of aches and pains.